Gates, who is expected to leave his post later this year, predicted a greater role for the Navy and Air Force in the future and warned the Army to gird itself for a period of relative austerity compared with the gusher of defense spending that has sustained it over the past eight years.

Dig in and gird yourself for a long battle, because with the caliber of the horses in this showdown, we expect this seesaw battle to continue all season long, right down to the wire next spring when the OHL playoffs commence.

To gird against this, the major credit-card companies in 2006 formed an industry group called the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, which establishes minimum technical protections for businesses that accept credit cards.